The Publisher Podcast and Newsletter Awards are now open for entries

Submit your best work to our awards programmes, and join us at The Publisher Summit on July 8th to take your product strategies to the next level.

AuthorAuthor

Media Voices & Esther Kezia Thorpe
March 05, 2026

Welcome to the Publisher Newsletter by Media Voices: profiling the people and products powering publishing.

Got a brilliant podcast or newsletter to share?

Great!

Did you know, we run an awards programme dedicated to celebrating the best podcast and newsletter work from publishing companies?

The Publisher Podcast Awards, now in their seventh year, are open for entries until Friday April 10th.

The Publisher Newsletter Awards, returning for a fourth year, have just opened, and are accepting entries until Friday April 24th.

The awards are open to publishers of all shapes and sizes, and we usually have a good mix of organisations in the running, from indie titles and start-ups to long-established and global brands.

There are a wide range of categories across both awards, including Best Food & Drink, Best Daily, and Best AI Strategy. Any questions, just reply to this email.

The Publisher Summit

We’re pleased to be bringing back The Publisher Summit before the awards on Wednesday July 8th 2026, held at HUCKSTER, near Paddington, London.

This year, there will be a single main stage focused on direct-to-audience product strategies, combining newsletter, app, podcast, print and event expertise and showcasing leading strategies.

There will also be Masterclasses alongside dedicated to specific product opportunities and challenges.

I’m really excited to be bringing the Summit to life again and for this new approach, recognising that many of you have responsibilities across multiple products and areas. My inbox is open if you have case study suggestions or a story to share!

Early Bird tickets for both the Summit and Awards are available now.

The Publisher Masterclass: Spring 2026 AI Special Series

We’re almost halfway through our online AI Publisher Masterclass series, carefully tailored to help you as a publisher get the best from AI.

Here’s what we have coming up:

Frameworks to successfully implement AI in your business

Wednesday 11th March, 4pm GMT

Whether you’ve already got an AI strategy for your business or know you need to make a start on one, clear leadership is needed from the top to ensure it is implemented safely and successfully.

In this workshop, senior executive consultant Madhav Chinnappa takes you through a framework for senior leaders and executive teams to introduce AI tools and workflows in their organisations.

You will learn:

  • How to empower senior leaders and teams to experiment with AI in a way that benefits the business

  • Pitfalls and things to be aware of when introducing AI tools

  • The benefits of having AI champions at a senior level

  • Where time could be re-invested for higher-value work

Masterclass lead: Madhav Chinnappa

How AI chatbots can be used to increase engagement

Wednesday 18th March, 4pm GMT

One area publishers are exploring the use of AI tools for is keeping users on-site and surfacing vast archives of relevant, trusted content.

Zoe Coutinho, Product Director at the FT has been leading a team experimenting with AI chatbots on FT Professional. In this workshop, Zoe will outline the process they went through to implement the chatbot, and where they’re looking to next for AI-powered engagement.

You will learn:

  • How to evaluate where AI products are (and aren’t) appropriate for building engagement on-site

  • How to measure success and ROI for chatbots, and what signals to look out for

  • Whether a build or buy approach is right for you

Masterclass lead: Zoe Coutinho

The ROI of AI

Wednesday 25th March, 4pm GMT

There’s a great deal of pressure on companies to introduce AI, but how do you go about assessing its impact and potential for return on investment?

James Carson, founder of Absolutely Agentic and formerly of History Hit, The Telegraph, Bauer and more will take you through a framework for measuring ROI in a media business.

You will learn:

  • How to evaluate AI projects before, during and after inception

  • What signals success beyond financial savings

  • Managing rollout of AI projects in a way which sets them up for success

Masterclass lead: James Carson

As a reward for reading all the way to the bottom, here’s a discount code for you - MV25 will get you 25% off all Masterclass tickets!

From last year’s Publisher Summit:

Why Reach turned to Substack for newsletter expansion and experimentation

Over the past two years, Reach plc has launched 13 paid newsletters and 21 free newsletters on Substack. Jenna Thompson discussed the reasons behind the new launches, and what they’ve learned about audience and community building.

voices.media/why-reach-turned-to-substack-for-newsletter-expansion-and-experimentation

How The Economist and Financial Times manage personality-driven newsletters

Newsletters led by star writers are proving an effective tool for publishers to supercharge loyalty. But putting key journalists front-and-centre is not without its risks, as the FT's Sarah Ebner and The Economist's Andrew Palmer and Dominic Rech discussed at the Publisher Newsletter Summit.

voices.media/the-primacy-of-personality-led-newsletters-at-the-economist-and-financial-times

How Hearst UK and Stylist use app extra features to enhance reader relationships

Apps can be a powerful retention tool for subscription publishers. If they want readers to come back regularly, having enhanced features and added extras like games can be key to building habits and making the app ‘sticky’. However, content must always be at its heart.

voices.media/how-hearst-uk-and-stylist-use-app-extra-features-to-enhance-reader-relationships

Investments and rewards: where are publishers at with paid podcasts?

There are many ways to monetise a podcast. Sponsorships, direct subscriptions, events, even merchandise. But what does it take to get to that point – and what is the future of paid podcasts?

voices.media/investments-and-rewards-where-are-publishers-at-with-paid-podcasts

Strategies for delivering limited run newsletters…and what next for subscribers

The Times and National World share their tips for creating and executing successful limited run newsletters. They also outline their strategies for nurturing hard-won subscribers once the series have ended.

voices.media/strategies-for-delivering-limited-run-newslettersand-what-next-for-subscribers

Why the FT’s app is its most powerful retention tool

“Subscribers that are only or primarily on the app are 37% less likely to cancel than non-app users,” said the Financial Times’ Muj Ali. Here's how the business publication has turned its app into a vital retention channel.

voices.media/why-the-fts-app-is-its-most-powerful-retention-tool